It may be July, but the school year is rapidly approaching – and with it comes equipping students with everything they need to succeed.
Whether your child is in kindergarten or high school, there’s all sorts of supplies they might need for school or extracurricular activities.
Between July 20 and August 20, many of those items will be tax-free.
Saidy Barredo, the vice president and regional manager of GTE Financial, said the best way to take advantage of the holiday is by doing your homework and having a plan before shopping.
"We should all take advantage of it,” Barredo said. “(So) we could have the kids ready for the first day of school."
The best way to prepare, she said, is to check the list of exempted items to see what qualifies for the tax break. Barredo also advises to look at what supplies you already have at home to see what you can reuse before shopping.
What are considered back-to-school supplies?
Typical school supplies, including binders, crayons, pencils, rulers and notebooks are exempt. The only catch is the item has to be $50 or less. Learning aids and jigsaw puzzles $30 or less will also be tax-free.
Personal computers and some computer-related accessories also qualify – as long as it’s $1,500 or less and bought for personal use. That means that certain laptops, tablets, monitors, calculators, routers and ink cartridges will be tax-free.
Plenty of clothes are also exempt. From belts to jeans and scout uniforms to graduation gowns, all sorts of apparel qualify as tax-free - as long as each item is under $100.
Some back-to-school items exempted from taxes that might surprise you include:
- Snow ski suits
- Fishing vests
- Martial arts attire
- Baseball cleats
- Costumes
- Speakers
- Computer software
- RAM
- Compasses
- Lunch boxes
- Legal pads
- Memory games
- Nesting blocks
- Interactive books
